Disturbing the Natural Order
by DErpyMatryoshka
Summary: Born into a world where Magi don't exist and magic is all "in your head", Kris Rodriguez lived as an average college student with an unknown gift bestowed at birth. Without warning, he's pulled into a desert with no sign of life and now resides in a world unlike his. Can he make it through this adventure in one piece? OC Warning, rated T until later, possible pairing.
1. Imbalance

_It's cold_.

As the first words I'm able to register this early in the morning, my hand pulls the comforter tighter around me. The fabric still has the heat my body emitted from earlier, making it difficult to leave the bed. Everything is so soft and warm under here, I don't want to move. The only thing that was not covered was my feet, but that was a usual routine that I had gotten used to over the course of my nineteen years of existence. Heaven forbid I try to hide my feet as well, as it just leads me to feeling overheated even when my room is about to drip icicles from the ceiling.

I pondered over the time, tempted to turn to see the clock, but I had an easier way of accessing it. The sacrifice was a bit of heat to shift my hand out and grab my charging iPod, and I had to consider this my greatest challenge in the wee hours of the morning. That's as much as I can tell, seeing there's not any sunlight pouring out the windows yet. Deciding that as my best option, my hand dashed out and pulled the device over, pressing the middle button to confirm the time.

Four forty-five AM.

I groaned, putting it back on the side of the bed as I shrunk my hand into the blankets. This wasn't an abnormal routine either, but it was an annoyance. One day, I thought, I shall be able to sleep like a normal person does, even if normal is defined by the relative responses in one's life. Eight to nine hours would be preferred in my case, and I would like to be able to sleep before the clock reaches midnight. An unlikely outcome, but one can dream.

As with a routine such as this, the next step would be to rise from the grave, er, bed. Rolling to my side, I shifted up, placing my feet on the carpet before standing up to stretch. A small pop from my back and I stop, drifting over to the small lamp and turning it on. Blinded momentarily, my eyes adjust to the lighting and I immediately go to my alarm clock and flick the switch. The last thing I need is for the thing to scare me half to death as I get ready for college.

Speaking of such, I think a much needed shower is in order. Picking out some clothes from the drawers, I marched out the door of the room and into the bathroom. Locking the door, I undressed quickly and stepped into the tub. I adjusted the settings, and the shower head soon started pouring hot water. The heat was able to wake me up enough to not feel like a corpse and have to drag myself everywhere, which was definitely a start to the day ahead.

After scrubbing myself clean, I turned the water off and stepped out. I noticed I used quite a bit of hot water as the room had remains of stream floating about. I dried off quickly, put on my fresh, clean clothes, brushed my hair and headed back to my bedroom.

The bedroom I had was what I considered to be "big". I could be able to give it a bit of personality without overdoing it. A few posters were here and there, a display case for some figures I collected stood tall in the corner, a book shelf stood next to my desk, a bed off near the corner with the nightstand, and there was a drawer between the bed and the closet, which was off in another corner. There was a flat-screen TV I got as a gift hanging on the wall close by my bed, hooked to a gaming console on a small stand. I did have it easier than others, I can admit that, but this was mostly things I earned so I don't really have much in the way of room to say I am spoiled rotten. Summer chores may have been hard, but it got me what I wanted so the work paid off in the end.

Throwing the clothes into a basket, I sat down in front of my desk before turning the computer on. Hanging on the monitor was a hair tie, something I put there last night so I don't keep my common trend of losing hair ties every single time I put my hair down. Grabbing it, I tied my hair back and scanned the desk for my glasses case. Again, the thing grew legs and decided to run off to who knows where. However, my red glasses were on the other side of the monitor near the back, so I didn't need to think about the case at the moment. That could come back after I finish up classes for the week.

Adding the glasses to my appearance, I heard a call from downstairs. No doubt the older, feminine voice was my sister letting me know she finished breakfast. Content with the fact I didn't need to wait an hour for food, I jumped out of my chair and skipped out of my room and past the stairs.

A note to anyone who wishes to motivate me: Food is the answer.

The arching entrance to the kitchen was lit up, and once I stood in front of it, I could see the tall figure preparing the plates of food. If there was a time and place for movie magic to work it's way into this monologue of my mind, this would be where some sort of song plays as I introduce my sister to the audience. As silly as it sounds, I might as well do it.

My sister, Candace, was definitely that fitting role of the older sister who acted more like a mom: Long, thick brown hair, which was usually pulled back into either a bun or a braid (today she sported the braid), brown eyes, and dressed formally for the office. Light makeup was applied to her face, giving her a very lively appearance. She very much was a stern, hard-working woman who did whatever she could to keep us going.

"Good morning, sleeping beauty," I heard her comment as she looked up at me, her mouth curved into a bright smile. "Rest well?"

"As well as an almost insomniac can, I'm afraid," I replied with a tired smile as I leaned on the archway. "You're up earlier than usual. Promotion, or meeting?"

"Meeting. I think the boss might be giving us more routes to promote sales." Handing a plate to me, I picked up the fork and stabbed into the scrambled eggs.

"Fun fact, I learned lipstick has fish scales in it... Or at least used to, I dunno if they still do." Taking a bite, I could see Can stare at me with her brows arched.

"Really? At this time of morning?" With a shrug, I swallowed the bite before replying.

"Just some trivia. Never know when it'll be useful."

We continued talking while eating, and after finishing, I did the dishes for her. It was our usual exchange: she cooked, and I cleaned. If I cooked, then she cleaned. She glanced over the clock, cursing under her breath.

"I gotta get on the road," she continued as she pulled her purse onto her shoulder. "Lunch is in the fridge, and make sure to get your water bottle. They say later today the temperature is gonna reach the seventies, and you should be hydrated anyway."

"Yes mom", I remarked, receiving a small smack on the arm. "Good luck with Mr. "I like being in your personal space". I think he might be extra claustrophobic-inducing today."

"Don't remind me." She sighed, walking out of the kitchen. "Good luck with your finals." It didn't take long until I heard the front door swing open, then shut closed.

At least now the sun was shining in the sky, as if the big ol' gas ball had nothing better to do.

* * *

><p>The dark room was filled with bodies, each standing in front of a large ritual circle. They stood at the edges, praying silently as hooded figures stood behind them. One could not see the grin they possessed, but it wasn't a kind smile by any means.<p>

"Let us begin", one of the figures roared. The immediate response to the call was the choir of prayers as the circle glowed. The bright birds around it violently began to react to it. Upsetting the balance, they fluttered about as if they were commanded to.

A far distance away, a handful of individuals felt a disturbance. From the reaches of the Kou Empire, to the corrupting city of Balbadd, a few could tell something was not right. A small boy stared at the sky, watching as the Rukh reacted oddly. He stared as some moved far among the clouds, disappearing out of his sight.

"Ugo, do you see that?" He would receive silence, but he continued to speak. "Do you think something is going on over there?" His gaze stayed for a while, seeing both white and black Rukh fly over. "Maybe when we find Alibaba, we can search over there together." The boy got an odd feeling, but without knowing where they were going, he would only stray farther from his friend, and meeting him was his current goal.

"I think... Something is changing."

* * *

><p>I sighed as I stopped under a tree, feeling the sun burn itself into me. Maybe I should have listened to my sister more, as it did get hotter in the day. I did carry my water bottle, but I had yet to drink from it. Usually I enjoyed the heat, as fall was slowly turning into winter and I hated winter with a passion, but for some reason it seemed unbearable.<p>

As I was thinking of needing a moment to cool down, I could feel the wind blow my bangs into my face. I opened my eyes, noticing the bright, shining lights in front of me.

Oh. It's these bird-things again.

Since I was young, I saw these small, fluttering birds and oddly, watching them made me realize a few things. For one, even though I am much older now, I can still see them and no one else does- Or at least, not anyone I know does. The second thing about these birds is that they give me some sort of trail to follow and help me know who to trust. Lastly, these birds sometimes give me daydreams, like I was living as someone else at points, but I never got to know who I was in these dreams, nor what I looked like.

They seemed frantic, as if they were spooked about something. I could say it distracted me to the point where I didn't notice my surroundings until I felt a drop pat my cheek, the cold but small drop alerting me that it was going to rain. Had I notice the dark cloud appearing over, which I may add was not there moments ago, I would've picked a different spot to hide. As I originally used this spot to hide from the sun, I decided a change of scenery would be good. Sitting up, I took a glance at my right, scanning all the way to the left side before finding a small place that would do well for shelter. I pulled up my hood and dashed over to the small structure. The pattering of droplets continued, increasing as I arrived.

It was a small park shelter, able to keep families dry and away from sunlight for a nice picnic should the occasion arise. Nearby was the playground, sand making more than half of the ground as the swing set and slide stood there bravely, pounded by the rain. Luckily, there wasn't any sign of life there, so there wasn't an assembly of kids dashing over to the dry area and doing whatever. I'm not good with kids, yet I attract them like using a light to get the attention of bugs. Maybe I should buy a different brand of soap or switch to a new shampoo.

Shivering from the now cold air, I hugged myself tightly, sitting myself down on the bench. I don't remember my sister mentioning this, but with living in a place where the weather has mood swings constantly, you can't help but bring a jacket or umbrella in case of emergency. At least I brought my old high school jacket and had it on, or else I'd be looking like a wet rat. A small sound shifted my head over back to the rain, and my eyes widened as I gazed at the sight before me.

The birds, both the bright ones and the dark ones, where flying around a certain area, spiraling upward into a very dark cloud. I stood up, walking to the edge of the shelter before stopping. The cloud above was almost like obsidian, had the bright birds not been flying into it. The winds had picked up, my hands grasping the edges of my hood to keep it from flying back. In the back of my head, I felt a conflict between two lines of thought.

My first one was telling me that I should not go over. It was saying that in disaster movies, this would be how I would die. The second one was basically saying "video game logic always makes this a save point or something really important".

Both were equally silly as they were frustrating... Yet I felt as if I should go over there. This was something only I could see, and they were guiding me. I heavily felt that way, almost like it was putting me in a trance of a sort.

My feet already responded before I could think clearly, taking each step in the cold, wild downpour of the storm. My mind and body were struggling in keeping control. It was cold, and dammit I hated the cold, so why was I in the middle of it? What the hell I am thinking?

They stopped once I reach the middle of the circle, my hot breath fogging as I felt my body tremble. A pull from my torso made me gasp sharply, my head searching around as I noticed nothing but the birds and the heavy rain. If the fluttering didn't make it hard to see already, the heavy downpour surely wasn't helping. Another tug and I was lifted up slightly, my feet barely touching the ground.

"Wh-wha-?"

Before I could finish, a heavy tug pulled me up higher, the speed making it hard to take a breath to scream. The birds flew closer around me, and I was starting to feel lightheaded. Everything was spinning, and I wanted it to stop. I shut my eyes closed, holding the sides of my head.

_Make it stop, make it stop, __**make it stop-**__!_

With that phrase echoing in my head, the feeling halted. The cold air was gone, and I could tell now something bright was shining from above. Very much scared and shivering still, I opened my eyes to confirm the situation around me. I gasped again, my hands lowering to my chest, my fingers still frozen in place like they could not relax.

In front of me stood the ruins of some building, patches of walls and ceiling missing as the harsh sun blazed above. My eyes scanned down to my feet, which were thankfully on the ground again, and had there not been sand, I would've kissed the ground.

Like any reasonable person, I began to think of several questions as my arms finally fell to my sides, continuing to scan the scene: Where was I? How did I get here? What just happened? Relatively normal questions, I believe, but still, the feeling of being in a foreign place was not easy on the nerves. Time felt like it paused; nothing moved and there wasn't a sound to be heard.

Unnerved by the silence, I took a step forward. Sand crushed under my shoes, and the noise was able to get me thinking a bit clearly. I made it to one of the gaps in the wall, crouching down under the broken hole and crawling out of the building.

I was greeted with two very visible sights once I stood up straight: There were tons of sand everywhere, and more buildings were around, though they were in similar shape as the previous one. It was deserted, in both the figurative and literal sense of the word. I could see a couple mountains of sand in the distance, but that was about it.

Reaching into the pocket of my jeans, I grasped my phone, pulling it out to check the signal. Zero bars greeted me in the corner of the screen, but I could still try to dial for my sister. I quickly dialed her number, waiting for the tone. What screamed in my ear instead was not any sort of ringing, but the sound of a screeching electronic, as if you plugged a guitar in with the wrong settings and it started hollering. I immediately hung up, startled to death by the blaring noise. Pocketing my phone back, I sighed to myself.

I was alone. My hand clutched the strap of my bag.

I was alone and there was no sign of life. Feet shifted under me as stared at the ground, swallowing the hard-to-digest thoughts in my head. I could hear myself think of how this could _not_ get any worse, and then of how it could have, but I shook the thoughts off. I couldn't lose any motivation to get out of here. Hell- I should use this insecure feeling to motivate me more to find a way back home.

I trudged on and examined around, keeping an eye on the buildings for any signs of movement and on the ground for any footprints. As long as there hadn't been too much in the way of wind, I could see if there had been anyone around recently, minus myself. I maneuvered around the area, noting that there were only a handful of buildings, similar to a small neighborhood. Keeping my senses on alert, I spotted a print in the sand. I squat down, eying it carefully. It was a footprint, and from the direction it was going, there had been more than just human footprints.

My nerves had calmed enough that I could smile. Even if it was small lead, I could follow them and find out where the hell I was. I stood up, dashing towards the small chance of hope I had.

I really was praying I'd be able to get home before my sister returned. I could really use her company right now.

* * *

><p>It had been an hour or two since the student had ran away from the scene. Should he have stayed, he would have been stopped by the veiled men scanning around the ruins. They had felt a disturbance of the Rukh, one that they didn't have any involvement with, and immediately set out to find the source. Markkio stood silently, watching and waiting for a report. Next to him was the Magi and Oracle of the Kou Empire, Judal, who seemed very impatient.<p>

"Are they really not finding anything?" He asked, bored to tears with how little they progressed.

"Looks like whatever caused the shift might have already stopped," Markkio replied, the usual smile on his face. "Or perhaps it left the scene to avoid suspicion. It's odd that such a gathering of the Rukh came and left so suddenly, wouldn't you agree?"

"The presence isn't gone though," Judal remarked, scoffing at the odd feeling. He felt annoyed, more so than usual. Whatever happened here had somehow influenced his mood, like there was too much of something and it was a bother, but what was that _something_? Definitely annoying, the Fallen Magi noted.

"We may have found a lead." The voice snapped the Magi out of his thoughts, his arms crossed as the veiled man spoke to Markkio. "It seems there's trail left behind."

"Where does the trail lead?" Judal barked, eying the man carefully.

"It leads to Balbadd, so we won't have a delay in plans-."

That was enough to have Judal smirking, a thought popping into his head as he stormed off. Soon, the Kou Empire's eighth Imperial Princess, Kougyoku Ren, would be sent to Balbadd to marry the current king, Ahbmad Saluja. The Al-Thamen would be there in due time, but his curiosity would mean he'd have something better to do than hang around with them.

He was going to find the source himself, and he would be sure to rid of it.

* * *

><p><strong>Hello! Thank you for reading the first installment of my fanfic. I've been debating for a while as to how to write this and what should happen, but after taking enough time in delaying I present you this, er, piece of writing. If you could, leave a review and tell me how you feel so far about the story. Aladdin and Judal make a short appearance, but soon enough they'll be more relevant. <strong>

**So here's a question for you guys: What got you into Magi? I know watching it on Netflix was my reason, since Netflix is a useful tool in finding a way to waste time. Also, if you have any questions about Kris, feel free to ask. I'm going to be working with him as best as I can, since he's a newer character I have been working with.**

**As a note, the image used for the story is of Kris! He's got some long hair... I'm kinda jealous. Soon, I shall have a description for his appearance, or possibly an image. Why not both?**

**I wish you guys a good day! Thank you again for reading!**


	2. Attention

"Soon" was turning out to be longer than expected. Judal didn't figure that "soon" would be months away- It must have been his impatience getting the better of him, as he was annoyed the other day and only thought of dealing with the irregularity.

Why was it taking so long to arrange this marriage anyway? Was Balbadd always this much of a mess? It didn't really matter much to him. Whatever that hag was planning wasn't his business, so he might as well enjoy the visit, even if it was just another pointless business trip to favor the Empire.

He decided that today would be the day he'd search around. After arriving yesterday, he had anticipated he'd find what he was looking for, yet he had no idea where to start. He wasn't staying at the palace, that was for sure. Another boring "investment" was not his way of spending an afternoon.

Peach in hand, the Magi floated above the city, lying on his stomach as the magic carpet slowly drifted around. Watching over, he stared at the various people. A couple of them were here and there, doing who knows what, but it really didn't impress him. Commoners really were boring.

From the corner of his eye, Judal noticed some Rukh were fluttering downward, hastily dashing away. Sitting up, he glanced at the direction of the flow. Surely, this had to be good. A smirk plastered itself on his face as he bit into the fruit.

He might as well say he had a good idea where it was now.

* * *

><p>I was not prepared for any of this.<p>

I had prepared for the years of bullying. I prepared for the insanity of my friends, and I even prepared for exams, but nothing I had done would ever amount to how unprepared I was at this moment.

Before I talk about how I stumbled into a mess and was now running for my life, I'd like to think back about how I got here and how it all went downhill.

Following those footsteps for a while, I could feel my feet dying as I ventured on, heading to this location in the distance. My water bottle stood as my best friend throughout this voyage, and by the time I arrived the bottle was almost empty and my feet were about to fall off. However, when I arrived at the entrance of this strange location, the pain melted away.

Everything around me was just like that out of Aladdin, or anything out of A Thousand and One Arabian Nights! A jaw-dropping scene like this was not anything I ever thought I'd experience, and I still couldn't believe the sight when I got here about a day ago. Granted, I ended up sleeping in an alley, but I thought after I woke up, I would be back home.

From the moment I got into this city, I got the impression I was dreaming (how else could I explain everything that happened so far; magic?). Every detail just hit me like the typical setting of an ancient, Arabian environment: The clothing, the people, the buildings, and even the dastardly heat.

If I could recite a line from a classic film to express my feelings, it would have to be from the Wizard of Oz, and I'm pretty sure it was well-known enough not to be said.

After walking around, I had made sure to ask someone where I was. The marketplace, or at least that's the impression I got, looked like a good place to start, but I had no idea if I could even muster up the courage to speak. As someone who suffered greatly from social anxiety, I had to rely on others to ask in my stead.

_This was going to be a while._

After a bit of standing around like a statue, a woman holding hands with a small child glanced over my way, noticing my presence with a bit of a bewildered expression. The child followed in staring at me, smiling brightly.

_She noticed you_, I thought, _go and ask her!_

"E-Excuse me," I stuttered, clasping my hands together in order to keep them from shaking, "Could I ask you something?" What occurred to me after asking her was that she might not be able to speak English, and then I mentally cursed at myself for thinking in naivety.

"Is there something wrong?" She replied, fully able to understand and even converse back. I felt relief at knowing I wasn't going to be lost in translation, but maybe that was because I was dreaming.

"Well, um... I seem to be a bit lost. I came here not too long ago, but I have no idea where I am. If it's not a bother, could you tell me the name of this place?" The woman gave me a nervous smile, as if I did something embarrassing.

"This is the Kingdom of Balbadd."

"Ball... Bod?"

"Mamma," the child squealed, walking over to me with her mother's hand still locked in hers, "She looks weird!" The girl pulled on my jeans slightly, giggling to herself.

_Oh dear. I'm already bringing all the children in._

"Atiya," her mother warned, pulling the child back to her. "I'm sorry about her, she tends to be very affectionate."

"N-No no, it's fine! I'm used to it, really." Shaking my hands dismissively, I thought it'd be best to be polite but continue my questioning. "Are we anywhere near Longmont?"

"Longmont? Where's that?" Her eyes widened, staring curiously at me for an explanation.

"It's in Colorado."

"Colorado?" She still gave me a confused look.

"You know, the... United States of America?" _Please throw me a bone here._

"I... Don't think I've heard of it."

To say I was shocked would be an understatement. Then again, this was my dream world, and perhaps it's doing this as a way of showing my anxieties will be a hindrance if I let it overcome me. It is around finals, so maybe that was it.

"Oh," I finally uttered, still not sure of how to take this, "In that case, never mind. Sorry to ask you so much, Miss. I'll try to find it on my own, but thank you for helping me." I waved goodbye to both her and the child, who both waved to me and wished me a goodbye.

For the rest of the day, I tried asking around about the distance away from my home with no success, then about the city itself. The various answers I got were enough, and eventually I had to sleep and let my aching feet rest. As I mentioned, I slept in an alley, and in the morning I woke up to find I was still in Balbadd. It definitely got cold that night, and I was hungry and freezing by the time I fell asleep.

In the morning I was greeted by a growling stomach. Thank goodness I had my sister make me food before all this happened.

Glancing through my bag, I noticed two small, clothed baggies had been stored in there. I knew I did not have those there before, and immediately inspected the rest of my bag for anything missing. Nothing was taken, but I'd be sure to inspect those bags after I ate.

My lunch, which became breakfast, was still delicious, albeit cold and could use some condiments. I ate it happily, wondering about if I fell asleep in the park. Would anyone notice someone snoozing and wake them up? Would my stuff get stolen? The thoughts in my head made me glance at my bag again, staring at it for who knows how long.

This dream had been very surreal, yet I still was able to feel, rest, and eat with my unconscious mind actively noting it. It could be lucid dreaming, but I don't think I've ever had dreams this vivid before. I'd be lucky if I remembered it the next day, so why was I experiencing this? Would I even remember it when I woke up?

Packing the containers after I finished, I pulled out the two bags and noticed immediately one weighed heavier than the other. Opening the heavy one, I found it full of coins. I was stumped, to say the least. My curiosity for the other bag got me to open it quickly. This bag was full of bills, similar to dollars, but they looked like Asian currency.

I was given money? How... Generous. I pocketed all my items in the bag, zipping it closed and pulling the strap over my shoulder. My hand went to my chest, feeling for my necklace. The solid bulge confirmed it was still there, so I still had everything on me. Adjusting my glasses, I continued the search for a sign home.

Which, inevitably, led me into my current situation: Running from a bunch of armed thieves at top neck speed. How was I suppose to know that these bunch of hooligans were eying me and they thought I had something valuable? Well, I did, but they didn't need to know that. Counting my laptop, iPod, and phone, I still had my costly college textbooks. My sketchbook wouldn't sell, since I already started using it for my anatomy studies and the occasional silly doodle, so that was all I had. I also had money, but would you really tell someone who's robbing you that you were loaded?

Right now, I really could use some sort of way to detour these bastards to the authorities and be on my merry way. My feet started screaming at me again as I ran down several alleys and streets, hoping to get them off my trail.

Even when people were walking by, they did nothing. _Just like back home_, I mused dully as I turned down another corner. I ran forward and met a dead end. Cursing in my head, I turned to see the scoundrels coming, grinning ear-to-ear.

_I am boned. I am so_ _boned_.

At that moment, I really wished I could've invested in a pocketknife or some martial arts, something to defend me from being robbed! With a silly thought, I came back to thinking that this was a dream and maybe I could pull some reality-warping stunts. I tried to climb the wall, but to no avail was I able to become Spiderman and use web lines to get me to safety.

"Just hand over the bag", I heard one of them say as my back flattened against the wall. What could I do? Is there anything I can do? Could I perform magic? Waving my hands aggressively, the criminals stared at me strangely, chuckling as I just looked like I was flailing in fear.

"If you cough it up, we won't have to sell you to a slave trader." I stopped, my fright stuck in my throat as I tried to think of something, anything!

_Wait, maybe you need a wand to do magic!_

I honestly could not believe that even popped in my head, but it was worth a try, right? Pulling out my necklace, I pointed it at the thieves.

"S-Stop right there, or I'll turn you into a newt!" As brave as I tried to sound, I really was panicking. I just hope that it was enough to make them back off. They stopped, glancing at the object in my hand. The large ornament was considered small in comparison to something you would see in a movie about wizards and witches, but its appearance gave the impression of a wand.

The prized possession was gifted to me by my sister for my birthday. I told her as a joke that she could get me something unexpected, but lo and behold, she bought me something I was definitely not expecting. I kept it around me at all times, using it as a security blanket whenever I got overwhelmed.

The chorus of cackling left them winded as they mocked me. Furrowing my brows, I glared at the end of the necklace, the small crystal pointing in their direction. I became frustrated at my uselessness.

_Why can't I do anything? What am I going to do?_

The fluttering of a small glowing bird distracted me, resting itself on the tip of my necklace. I swallowed the fear down, mentally calling out for more of them. Whenever they came around, I could feel at peace, and I really needed them right now.

The tip of my necklace started glowing as more birds flew into the light, making it bigger and brighter. Gasping, my concentration broke and the ball of light zapped at their feet. The sand below them lifted, throwing them back out of the alley.

_What... What did I just do?_

The culprits stood up, and as soon as they landed eye contact with me, I shot a glare in their direction. That was enough to make them run, yelping as they disappeared out of my sight. My eyes focused back on my necklace, the shock running its course through me.

_Did I just use a beam of light to scare them away?_

"That was pretty fun, huh?" A voice from above called, my head lifting up to see who was there, and the sight before me was even stranger than my crystal beam cannon. There stood a man on a flying carpet, his face no different than the guys from earlier with how large that smirk was. His hair was definitely obsidian and very long, as it curled into a large braid that had so much volume to it, yet spiked at the top of his head. He wore mostly black and had an exposed midriff, and along his arms and neck was gold jewelry. The one around his neck had a red jewel to it, and around his shoulders was some sort of scarf.

Should I mention this guy had those black birds flying around him? I got a bit of a bad feeling from him.

He jumped down in front of me, taking a step closer before halting. From a closer angle, I could see he had some purple eyeshadow and bright, ringed eyes that glowed red. He looked like a higher classed citizen, and he certainly had the attitude of one.

One thing is for sure: he's prettier than I am.

"You had those idiots running," he chuckled, "It almost looked like they pissed themselves!"

"I... Did?" Frowning, the man crossed his arms.

"How odd." I blinked at him, raising my brow in confusion. He sighed, placing his hands on his hips as he strolled in front of me, staring me down. "The Rukh react oddly to you."

"The Rukh," I mumbled, "Are you... Are you talking about those birds?"

"So you're not completely oblivious." I frowned in response, not lowering my necklace. "What's your name, kid?"

"Kris."

"Well, Kris, sticking out like a sore thumb made it easier on my end." He leaned forward, making it difficult not to sink into the wall as he kept his unnerving glare on me. "You even dress weird." I had an urge to punch this guy in the face for his rude commentary, yet I remained glued to the wall.

"What are you talking about?" Straightening himself out, he finally gave me room to breathe.

"I wonder what I should do with you," he sang, the smirk back on his face. "You probably have no idea how to use anything besides a couple blasts of magoi, and something tells me it was out of desperation that you were able to do that in the first place."

"Probably." I eyed my necklace closely before glancing at him. "But you are right, I don't think I've ever done that before, and if I have I don't remember. I'm not even sure why I'm here, sir." He grunted, his eyes now fixated on my necklace. He seemed to be in thought, yet he didn't stop staring.

"Abandoned with no training of magoi or magic... Fine, I think I can spare you, for now."

The smirk became ever so vibrant as he hooked his fingers around my wrist, dragging me over as he jumped up. I swallowed hard as we landed on top of his magic carpet, my hands dropping my necklace onto my chest. He let go, letting me curl myself into a small ball.

"W-Where are we going?" I asked, trying to muster up some courage like I did earlier. His head shot over in my direction.

"You'll see very soon."

The carpet shot forward, my hands grabbing onto the material as I suppressed a yelp. Wind blew in my hair as the carpet shifted in directions. I chose not to look, as I didn't feel it would be a good idea to sneak a peek and end up barfing everywhere. I'm not very good with heights, and I didn't want to cause any problems with this guy. He felt like the type to beat up someone and wear a smile as he did such, so sticking to his good side would be ideal.

"Hey, Oddball, ever seen a royal palace?" My head shot up slowly. The man stared down at me as I crawled near the front, stopping as I saw the massive structure. My mouth was slightly agape as excitement coursed through my veins. For being in my hometown for so long, I never thought of being able to go sight-seeing. As much as I liked it, we couldn't spare time to go out of the state due to my sister's work, and college seemed more appealing than trying to spend vacations every year.

"Judal." Glancing back at the strange man, I furrowed my brows in confusion.

"Huh?"

"The name's Judal, and starting now, you're working for me." My brows relaxed, though I still felt oddly confused.

_What an odd dream_.

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><p><strong>The second installment of DtNO! So it looks like Kris met Judal, and I can't say if it bodes well or not. Why did Judal decided to let Kris work under him instead of killing him like he planned? That question will be answered later on, as there still is time before the Balbadd Arc comes in and plenty of shenanigans to follow before the arc comes in. Also, who gave Kris money? They must be pretty nice to do that.<br>**

**I decided to do a question for each chapter. This chapter's question is: Who is your favorite character from Magi, and why? I have a lot of characters I enjoy from Magi, but my absolute favorite is Morgiana. I think she's pretty amazing, even though I personally think she should be darker skinned (the Dark Continent is definitely Africa and yet Morgiana looks like a porcelain doll.). Morgiana is like her own army, and I'm amazed with how powerful she is!**

**So I posted here Kris' appearance**. **His outfit will be changed later, but if you go onto my profile you can see his necklace! Why did his sister get him that? Well, that will also come later. Anyways, hopefully I'll be on time with my updates, as I am past my deadline for updating. **

**Please review! I'd like to know your honest opinions and thoughts as to what happens next.  
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**leroalice - He's so pretty. I think him and Kouha could be friends (or not).**

**Otakupsycopath - It is hard to find, but I honestly thought this kind of environment would be great to use that kind of theme. There's more plot to it later on, but I hope it'll be enjoyable. I thought the same about it, but after seeing it around I thought I'd try it and now it's my current addiction. Whoops. Other good fanfics... I honestly don't know. Of this theme, I don't think there's much, but I'd definitely look around. I know there are some places besides fanfiction that have Magi fanfiction, so I recommend looking around.  
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